Meghan & Mike

Meghan Schultz and Mike Menerich on the grounds of the Chicago Botanic Garden on their big day.

Meghan Schultz, 26, and Mike Menerich, 27, had a long time to get to know each other—12 years to be exact. They first met at Jefferson Junior High in Naperville, and shared the same small set of friends through high school. They even ended up dating briefly during senior year, but departed for college single—she for Dayton, he for Purdue—thinking they probably wouldn’t see each other again.

Not quite.

“Life works in mysterious ways,” says Schultz. “And it just so happens that the condo I rented in the summer of 2005 was across the park from the condo Mike’s parents had recently purchased. One summer night, my best friend, Meg, came to visit me in the city and recommended that we ask Mike to hang out. The rest is history.”

In August 2011, after dating three and a half years, Mike proposed with a beautiful 6-prong diamond solitaire during a walk along the lake. “Mike and I had talked about the ring for about a full year before we were actually engaged,” she says. “Mike is such a wonderful man, and although I was absolutely over the top with my attention to the ring, he gladly went along with my every crazy request. The simple platinum band beautifully showcases the center diamond. I still can’t believe how lucky I am to wear this ring each and every day.”

And she was even luckier with her wedding venue. “My mom and I were looking for venues, and we Googled the ‘best venues on the North Shore,’” says Schultz. “The Botanic Garden was one of the first options. We called that afternoon, and Connie Bolle [the director of sales] immediately accommodated a tour and a face-to-face meeting. I was in love with the Garden from the first moment we drove in. The gorgeous greenery and flowers made for the perfect wedding setting. We booked that day and, besides marrying my husband, getting married there is one of the best decisions I’ve made!”

The ceremony took place in the Rose Garden; then the 220 guests moved to a cocktail hour in the English Walled Garden and a reception in McGinley Pavilion. After the salad course, Meghan switched dresses from her Vera Wang ball gown style dress into a Reem Acra creation. “That way Mike and I were able to have our first dance in my beautiful ball gown, but then I could eat and celebrate in the more party-friendly dress,” says Schultz.

She continues on about the magic of the day. “I truly loved everything about my wedding,” she says. “But above all, I loved that, for one day, all of the most treasured people in our lives, from all areas of the country, came together to have a really great party. We ate delicious food, listened to awesome music and danced the night away—all in the name of our love!”

Speaking of “in the name of love,” Baby Menerich is coming in July. How’s that for a happy ending?